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Trends of illegal trafficking and transportation of drug across border in Viet Nam recent years

27/02/2012 02:01

In the recent years, illegal trafficking and transportation of drugs in Vietnam develops complicated. Drugs traffickers often take advantages of gaps and loopholes of preferential policies, regulations and procedures and management mechanism to commit offences.

Vietnam is located in “Golden Triangle” region, a convenient location for drug traffickers to transport drugs to the third country. Many seizes were mainly: synthetic drug, addicted drugs like Ketamin, Diazcpam powder (tablets and liquid) particular heroin, synthetic drugs, and new types of synthetic drugs.

Drug traffickers are coming up with more ingenious methods, diversity of routes, forming a drug trafficking ring to illegally transportdrugs across border. They usually hide drugs in body, luggage, transport drugs through forest paths at the border or take advantage of the temporary import for re-export to transport drugs. When being detected, they usually disperse evidence and use weapon to fight against competent forces.

As a member of WCO, and under operation mechanism of RILO A/P, Vietnam Customs has strengthened information exchange activities with national contact points of the WCO’s members. Some remarkable cases were informed by RILO A/P such as Oversea Vietnamese transported cocaine from Vietnam to Australia were arrested successfully by Australia police, a drug trafficking ring transported drugs from Golden Crescent region to Vietnam by airway. Those subjects mainly were Africans who hired Vietnamese to carry drugs to Vietnam then-by transported to the third country (China, Australia).

Achievements of Vietnam Customs in the fight against drug-smuggling

Vietnam Customs currently is participating in Iceberg Program started from April, 2011 to control transportation of Ketamine in the region, in which 09 members joined in an information exchange program through CENConm channel. So far, we have seized 5 cases with 336 kilogram in total.

From 2005-2011, according to preliminary statistic, Vietnam Customs has been actively fighting and coordinating with the anti-smuggling forces of the Police and Border Guard and seized 1.324 cases in total, seized a huge number of exhibits included 187,046.99 gram heroin; 15,078.40 gram opium; 51,643 tablets of synthetic drugs, 193,145.00 tablets of addicted drugs, diazepam; 93.85kg of substance, diazepam; 8,905.40 kg hashish; 4,81 raw opium; 1,85 kg flower and leaves of cannabis, 952,029.00 boxes of drugs.

One seized drug trafficker

7.9769 gram Heroin

School girl Phuttharaksa with evidence at Vietnam Customs Branch

at Tan Son Nhat airport

Achievements of Vietnam Customs in the fight against smuggling, illegal transport of goods which has bad impact on the environment

Along with rapid growth of economy, the illegal trade of wildlife species, chemicals and hazardous waste across borders poses challenges for the protection of environment security of each country, including Vietnam. In recent years, Vietnam Customs has actively participated in Sky-patching Project and “Green Customs” Project to tackle problems of toxic waste and control ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

With effort and determination, anti-smuggling forces of Vietnam Customs have obtained encouraging results such as the stop of wood smuggling across borders. Typically, the time before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Vietnam Customs has coordinated with economic police, environment police, forest management under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development detected more than 200containers of precious wood with the total value of 2 million US dollars.

Situation of waste materials violated regulations on environmental protection in Vietnam is developing complicated. Common tricks are to abuse the temporary import for re-export, take advantage of the exemption of physical inspection make wrong declaration of the goods and bring hazardous waste to Vietnam market or re-export to the third country. From 2009 to late 2010, Vietnam Customs has seized 162,2 tons of nitrogenous fertilizer, 48,8 tons of waste in all kinds,177,1 tons of lead battery, 53,8 tons of chemical substance.

Container of waste imported by Anh Trang Ltd. Company was detected at Sai Gon area II Port

On 14 January 2011, at the Cau Treo Border Gate in Ha Tinh Province, during the inspection of the truck, customs officers detected 87 red book’s tortoises.

In April and May 2010, Hai Phong Customs Department detected 04 cases of illegal transportation of elephant ivory and pangolin’s scab with the total weight of 5,328.23 kg ivory and 1,778.3kg pangolin’s scab. In January 2011, two cases of illegal transportation of ivory and 4,726 kg freezed pangolin.